


all bets are off

by rarepairenabler



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Casino AU, Gambling, Las Vegas, M/M, Not Canon Compliant At All
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6656242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarepairenabler/pseuds/rarepairenabler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima and Tendou meet at a casino in Las Vegas</p>
            </blockquote>





	all bets are off

**Author's Note:**

> *note: A tell in poker is a change in a player's behavior or demeanor that is claimed by some to give clues to that player's assessment of their hand

In hindsight, the sound of someone singing a tune-deaf rendition of Beyonce from inside the elevator should have been warning enough that Tsukishima would be best suited to just wait for the next one.

Ignoring his roaring instincts, Tsukishima sticks his hand through the narrowing gap and pushes open the doors as he stumbles into the elevator. He takes a moment to catch his breath and take in his surroundings. The only other passenger is the man who’d been singing a moment ago. 

The offender is wearing black suspenders over a white dress shirt; his sleeves rolled up and his red hair slicked back. He smiles crookedly, now whistling the song as he flips a blue poker chip with his thumb, popping the chip up into the air before catching it again in his palm.

Tsukishima recognizes the man immediately as the bastard who’s been targeting his tables at the casino for the past few days: Tendou. 

“You,” Tsukishima grits out in accusingly. His eyes narrowing as he adjusts his glasses. 

The casino was supposed to be an outlet, a way to wind down after spending long hours listening to seminars and conversing with associates at his week-long business conference. But it’s been impossible to relax with Tendou sitting himself down beside Tsukishima every night, the other man slouching across the table, leaning into Tsukishima’s space as he smirks and makes terrible gambling puns. 

“ _Me_ ,” Tendou replies, sounding deeply pleased with himself as the elevators doors slide shut. He turns and slides the chip into his pocket as his eyes rake over Tsukishima slowly, assessing. Tendou must recognize Tsukishima from the casino because he tips his head back and snorts. “Small world! You goin’ up, or down?”

Tsukishima clears his throat. “Up. 10th floor, please.” 

Tendou punches in his floor number and then does the same for Tsukishima. He slouches back against the wall, hands in his pockets as he leers and says, “Real bummer about that last hand you played, huh?” He sounds annoyingly sympathetic as he continues, “Maybe you’d be better tryin’ your luck at the slots instead. Much more your pace –there’s no skill required there. ” 

_Condescending ass_. Tsukishima seethes. 

Tsukishima is _good_ at poker. He’s been playing since he was a kid. He’s even won his share of hands against the Tendou over the past few days but Tendou’s proven to be a…frustratingly formidable opponent. 

Tendou is _purposely_ unnerving, makes a sport of spotting his opponents weaknesses and getting under their skin. Tsukishima once witnessed Tendou inquire why a fellow player had the imprints of a band around his finger, but no ring. The player, who had been successfully flirting with a waitress at the time, sheepishly withdrew from the game and Tendou had won the hand. 

Tsukishima would like to imagine that he’s immune to such antics, but on more than one occasion he’s let Tendou goad him into playing on a bad hand or into betting too high in their game of one-upmanship. 

Tsukishima smiles back, his lips pursed in a thin line and his tone acidic as he replies, “Gee, thanks for the tip.” 

“No problemo, Specs,” Tendou drawls. His blasé attitude would be half believable if he weren’t biting down on his lower lip to suppress a grin. “Poker’s a tough game and not everyone’s cut out for it. There’s no shame in callin’ it quits.” 

Tsukishima cocks his head to the side and smirks. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he intones, “when I win the next round.” 

Okay, so he’s bluffing a little. Tsukishima can’t predict the hand he’ll be dealt and the game’s never between just the two of them _but_. But if he has to listen to Tendou call out, “Hey, fellas, I’m feeling 120% lucky tonight!” again during the remainder of his business trip, Tsukishima’s going to have an aneurism. 

“Oh?” Tendou arches a brow. His red eyes glint as he wets his lips. “How do you suppose you’ll manage that? I’ve been on a, heh, roll. Meanwhile— _you_? Well, ya kinda suck.” 

He doesn’t even soften the blow with a ‘no offense.’ 

Tsukishima glowers at him before coolly retorting, “I’m going to figure out what your little trick is, and then I’m going take you for everything you have.”

Tendou freezes, blinks, and then wheezes out a hollow laugh. “My trick, huh? Any working theories?” 

“You’re cheating,” Tsukishima answers, “or you’re reading minds. Your name _is_ Satori after all, isn’t it?” He’d heard one of the staff call refer to Tendou by his full name a day ago—  
_Satori?_ That had stuck. It was uncomfortably fitting. 

“Curious, curious. I didn’t take you as a believer, _Tsukki.”_

Tsukishima grits his teeth at the use of his nickname. Tendou must have been eavesdropping the night Tsukishima’s coworkers Yamaguchi, Hinata and Kageyama had come with him to the casino.

“Are you really such a spoilsport that you’d accuse me of being a telepathic monster? Tch, though I guess I’ve been called worse,” Tendou says. He shrugs, his grin broadening as he stretches his arms above his head. The movement causes his dress shirt to ride up, revealing a sliver of skin below his abdomen. “Would you believe me if I told you it was a lucky guess?” 

“No,” Tsukishima scoffs. “Nobody gets lucky that often.” 

“Eh? I get lucky plenty often, Specs. I’ll spare you the more salacious details but—” Tendou cackles when Tsukishima levels him with a withering glare.

“ _Whatever_ it is, I’m going to figure it out,” Tsukishima declares, his resolve firm as the elevator chimes, blinking light announcing that they’ve arrived on Tsukishima’s floor. “I’m going to be prepared next time.”

Tendou’s eyes narrow. His tongue clucks against the inside of his cheek as he props a hand against his hip. “I guess we’ll see about that, four eyes,” Tendou taunts when Tsukishima steps out of the elevator. 

As the doors slowly slide shut, Tendou starts whistling again, the off-key sound still echoing through the halls as Tsukishima makes his way back to his hotel room. Tsukishima sighs and makes a mental note to treat himself to a beer from the mini-bar.

~*~

“We have _got_ to stop meeting like this,” Tendou says, sounding more amused than annoyed as Tsukishima shoves through the closing doors. 

Tsukishima silently curses himself for not checking to see who else is in the elevator before getting in. Now he’s stuck once more in an enclosed space with Tendou for the next 11 floors. Shit. 

“Tendou,” Tsukishima greets stiffly. 

Tendou braces a hand against the elevator’s wall, his red eyes gleaming as he closes the narrow space between them and says, “That was some game you played tonight, huh?”

“I did say I’d figure it out.” Tsukishima’s earned the right to be smug about this. 

Tendou hums in acknowledgment as he fiddles with the cuffs of his sleeves. “So you did! You were purposely giving me mixed signals to throw me off. Clever.”

Tsukishima’s chest swells with pride as he bites back a smile. 

“It’s easy to do when I realized what you were looking for,” Tsukishima tells him. “It’s idiotic to rely on something as subjective as a tell.” 

Tendou laughs as he steeples his hands beneath his chin. “No, you’d much prefer the objective truth of card counting.” Tendou pouts. “But where’s the _pizazz_ in that, though? How lame.” 

Tsukishima blinks in surprise at the accusation. He stumbles back an inch and Tendou instinctively reaches out a hand to steady him. Lips furled in a sneer, Tsukishima protests, “I’m _not_ —” 

“Not on purpose, I’m sure,” Tendou concedes. He doesn’t move his hand from where his warm palm is splayed against Tsukishima’s waist. “But you can’t help it, can you? You’re playing the odds. A decent strategy, actually.” 

Tendou exhales noisy through his nose. He gives Tsukishima a slow, appreciative once-over. “You’ve become a real thorn in my ass, Specs.” 

“Thanks.” Tsukishima coughs as he rubs at the back of his neck. “You know, you _could_ always just stop sitting in on the same tables as me. That would save us both the trouble.” 

“I could, but that’d be oh so boooring~ Things only just started gettin’ interesting! No point in crushing opponents who aren’t at my level, is there?” Tendou boasts, as if what he’s suggesting isn’t absurd.

The whole point of poker is to win, isn’t it? 

“So you admit I don’t suck then?” Tsukishima asks. His breath hitching as Tendou slouches farther into his space.

Tendou’s eyes are hooded, his smile lopsided as he smooths his hand down Tsukishima’s tie. “Oi, don’t get cocky just yet. You’re still so easy to read, Specs,” he croons. 

Tendou’s tongue peeks out between his lips. Tsukishima makes the mistake of tracking the movement, his eyes dropping to Tendou’s mouth, gaze fixed on the plush, pink bow of Tendou’s lips. Tsukishima’s own mouth feels suddenly dry as Tendou suddenly ropes Tsukishima in by the fabric of his tie so that their faces are nearly touching. 

“I think you underestimate my observation skills. It’s amazing the small things body language reveals. Let’s _see_.” Tendou traces a finger along the shell of Tsukishima’s ear. “Red-tinted ears— _pretty_ …elevated pulse,” he lists gleefully as he drops his hand lower, pressing his fingertips to hollow of Tsukishima’s throat. Tendou’s maniacal grin widens as Tsukishima shivers in response to the fingers stroking across his collar. “Hmm, what else?”

If either of them moved even a fraction of an inch, their lips would meet. Tsukishima can feel the warm puffs of Tendou’s breath against his mouth. Their eyes lock, the two of them stubbornly waiting for the other to pull away and forfeit this game of chicken. 

“Aha! Did you that most people’s pupils dilate when they’re attracted to someone? Yeah, just like _that_ —”

Tsukishima calls his bluff. 

He twists his fingers in Tendou’s collar and crushes their lips together, smirks against Tendou’s mouth when the other man makes a muffled noise of surprise. It only takes a moment before Tendou’s recovered, mouth parting readily for eager press of Tsukishima’s tongue as he slots a knee between Tsukishima’s thighs. There’s no tenderness to this kiss; it’s messy and depraved as their lips slide together roughly, their teeth clacking together as they tug open each other’s shirts. By the time they part, their chests are heaving harshly and their lips are smeared red. 

“Fuck,” Tendou exhales. He blinks rapidly as he drags his thumb across his own bottom lip. 

Tsukishima swallows roughly. “Yeah.” 

Just then the elevator chimes, announcing they’re on the 11th floor. The doors ease open again. 

“That’s uh,” Tendou crooks his fingers in the loops of Tsukishima’s slacks, “that’s your stop. You should probably—”

Tsukishima holds Tendou’s gaze as the doors slide closed again. 

“Actually, I was thinking maybe I’d get off on the next floor instead.” The ‘ _with you_ ’ part is heavily implied. 

Tendou’s mouth falls open, his eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hairline as he gapes at Tsukishima. A moment later he collects himself, a delighted laugh bubbling up from his lips as he leans forward and catches Tsukishima’s mouth with another searing kiss. “Fine, maybe I don’t have you figured out after all, four eyes.”

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](http://www.tobioslilgiant.tumblr.com) **l** [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/ambyguity_)


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